Furniture-caster.



B. PQKENYON.

FURNITURE GASTER.

v I APPLICATION I'I L1:D'JAN.'15,-1910.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Berfv'and PKnAon .To alt 'itmag mam:

. UNITED STATES rigrnnir orrion BERTRAND '1. KENYON,

OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 DIAMOND STEEL TRUCK COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A

CORCPORATIONQOF MICHIGAN.

YFURNITURE-CASITER.

Be it known that I, BERTRAND P. KEN- YON', a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kentand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Casters; and I do hereby declare-the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention-relates to improvements in furniture casters, and more particularly to the axle or journal, upon which the Wheel of such casters are journaled and its object is to provide a device that may be put into place and operative position, in assembling the caster after the combined horn and pintle have been finished and that will present similar and symmetrical heads at the respective ends of the axle.

Heretofore in the manufacture of furniture casters, and particularly such casters as are provided with wheels of othermaterial than metal, it has been necessary to assemble the pintle and horn and then finish the same in a very large percentage of cases i by electroplating. In assembling, the wheel is put into the horn and an ordinary axle is used to hold or journal the wheel. This axle must be riveted down to complete the work, and .in such riveting the plating on the horn, and axle head 1s nearly always marred, very frequently so badly that the wheel must be removed and the parts re- "plated, and that end of the axle which is u set in the riveting always shows the color of the metal from which it is made, and presentsan unsightly appearance, and especially so on a highly finished caster.

The object of my present invention is to avoid this undesirable condition and to provide'an axle that'may be set after it and the other metal parts have been finished a'nd plated, without in any way marring or de stroying the finish, and which when set in place, presents a neat perfectly finished ap pearance, as will more fully appear by reference fto the accompanying draw1ng,i n which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a fur niture caster, the wheel of which is held in place by my improved axle; Fig. 2 the same in a portion of the horn in vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and Specification of Letters fatent.

front elevation with the wheel, axle and Patented Jam 10, 1911.

Application filed January 15, 1910. Seria! No. 538,197.

' 4 the two parts of my improved axle enlarged and'sectioned showing the details of construction before being assembled; and, Fig. 5 thesame ,withthe two parts of my improved axle assembled in the horn of a;

caster, with the wheel omitted.'

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 representsthe pintle, 2 the horn, and 3 the wheel as usually found in furniture casters.

t represents the main part of my improved axle, which consists of a head andbody portion, the body portion being of sufiicient length to extend through both ends of the horn 2. The body portion is recessed at the end opposite its head as at 5, and chamfered inward as at 6. A separate head or buttonv is provided with a head portion 8 slightly convex and a circumferential groove 9 close to the head, and the overhanging portion of the head is made concave to turn the chain'- fered-end of the axle inward into the groove. The shank 7 of the button is made of such diameter that it will expand the end of the axle when driven into the recess 5, and thus prevent the axle from turning in the horn 11.

In assembling, the axle l is passed through the horn and the-axis of the wheel, the shank 7 of the button is then started into the recess 5, pressure isapplied to the head of the axle and to the button. 8, and the latter is'forced into position, best.shown in Figs. 2 and ,5. The shank 7 being thus forced into the recess 5, the chainfered portion 6 is forced into the groove 9 by'the concave of the head 8. Thus the axleis completed and securely locked in operative position without in any way marring the finish of the horn, or the axle itself,

while the structure possesses as much strength as the old style axle and in appearance is neat, sightly and fully finished. It will also be noted that as made, the head that is attached in finally assembling can be made of the same appearance as theother head; and is as thin and fits as closely at the periphery, having the same sharp edge close to the surface of the horn that the other head had.

What I claim is l. An axle for a furniture caster, consisting of a body portion having a head. at one end and an axial recess in the other end surrounded by a thin tubular portion, and a finishing button having a head and a shank portion, whichshank portion is adapted to enter the said recess, and also having a circumferential groove close to the head portion, whereby when the said shank is forced into the recess of the body portion,-the edge-of the tubular portion of the axle is forced into the circumferential groove, and the axle expanded Within the horn.

2. A furniture caster comprising a horn, awheel embraced by the arms of the horn, and an axle extending through the arms of the horn and the axis of the Wheel, said axle having a head at one endland an axial re cess at the other end, and a finishing button having a shank driven into the recess of the axle to expand the axle Within the horn, said button also having a circumferential groove close to the-head of the button into which the end of the axle is inwardly formed to hold the button in place.

3. An axle for furniture casters consistin of a body portion having a head at one end and an axial recess at the other end surrounded by an externally chamfered tubular portion, a finishing button provided with a shank and a convex head having a margin concave on the inner side and also having a circumferential groove communicating with said concavity, whereby, when the shank is forced into the recess, the chamfered margin is turned inward within the groove, and the edge of the head fits close to the horn of the caster. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERTRAND P..KENYON. Witnesses:

PALMER A. J ONES, MINNIE JoHNsoN. 

